An array plate is also called a microtiter plate, microplate, or microwell plate. Array plates are typically used to hold respective liquid droplets separately for biological and/or chemical reaction. For example, a well-type array plate includes a plurality of wells so that each liquid droplet or each sample may be dispensed into a separate well for further processing. Typically, the number of wells is selected from 6, 24, 96, 384, 1536, 3456, and 9600.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) matrix-coated slides have been used for holding larger volumes of droplets on a microscope slide surface. The PTFE matrix is patterned on a glass slide (e.g., a microscope slide) so that the PTFE matrix covers portions of the glass microscope slide and the remaining portions of the glass microscope slide are not covered by the PTFE matrix. The PTFE matrix has hydrophobic characteristics and the portions of the glass microscope slide that are not covered by the PTFE matrix have hydrophilic characteristics.
The PTFE matrix-coated slides are typically made by depositing a mixture of resin and PTFE powder on glass slides. The resin in the PTFE matrix holds the PTFE powder together and also onto the glass slides.
However, the PTFE matrix has a lower hydrophobicity than pure PTFE, because the resin in the PTFE matrix has a lower hydrophobicity than the pure PTFE. When the PTFE matrix-coated slides are used in biological/chemical processing, the PTFE matrix is easily contaminated by biological and/or chemical materials used in the biological/chemical processing. For example, proteins in biological samples may attach to the PTFE matrix during biological assays. This leads to contamination of samples and inaccurate assay results.